Recent years have seen the evolution of household products, particularly laundry products into new and varied forms. The use of liquid laundry detergents, which provide consumers with the opportunity to pretreat selected areas of the clothes with the detergent prior to washing, is more prevalent now than in years past. On the powders side of the business, increases in concentration, and therefore weight, have been undertaken to minimize packaging. In addition, many consumers looking for value purchase larger quantities of product at a single time. These larger quantities may be reflected in packages containing higher effective doses of product and/or in greater number of items purchased at the same time.
There is on the market a carrier for bottles of household products sold under the "Purex" brand. The Purex carrier comprises two dividing walls hinged at the top, each of which has a bottom flap separated from the dividing wall by a fold line. The Purex carrier also includes sidewalls on either side of each dividing panel and separated therefrom by fold lines. The Purex carrier includes shrink wrap to keep bottles contained and supported within the carrier. Without the shrink wrap, the bottles would fall through the carrier. The Purex carrier also includes a handle.
It will be appreciated that the purchase of heavier and/or multiple items will increase the burden on the consumer carrying home goods from the supermarket. Tearing of paper or plastic grocery bags stuffed with heavy items, including detergent and other household products, is not uncommon. There is a need therefore for a carrier suitable for transporting by hand larger and multiple packages, especially packages of household products such as detergent cartons and bottles.